Process of forming spinnable slivers from artificial filaments and apparatus therefor



. 3,758,221 PROCESS OF FORMING SPINNABLE SLIVERS FROM ARTIFICIAL June 24,1930. M. F. THOMA I FILAMENTS AND APPARATUS THEREFOR Filed March 12, 1929 Patented June 24, 1930 rarest FHGE' IMEIN'ARD F. THOMA, OF FITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS PROCESS OF FORMING SPININ'ABLE SLIVERS FROM ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS AND A2- PABATUS THEREFOR Application filed March 12,

The present invention relates to a process of forming a spinnable sliver from artificial filaments and to an apparatus adapted to carry my process into practice.

5 The filaments obtained in the spinning of artificial fibers are, according to the present practice, wound on a spool, if necessary subjected to a washing process and then cut into fibers of a definite length, in which form they are marketed as so-called artificial staple fibers. In order to form a spinnable sliver from these staple fibers, it is the practice hitherto to subject the staple fibers at first to the action of an opening process 1 which generally comprises two stages, i. e., at first the fibers are treated with a bathhaving certain chemical ingredients, as for instance soap, glycerin, or similar agents, whereby the comparatively harsh, coherent and unspinnable artificial filaments are opened up obtaining a good feel, whereas in the second stage the moist fibers are sub jected to the action of heat which, in combination with the moisture taken up by the fibers in the bath, efiects a certain crinkling of the fibers. After the opening process the fibers usually-possess a spinnable form. However, during the treatment with the bath the originally parallel position of the single filaments to each other is lost, and after the opening process the filaments lie in a rather criss-cross position. It is therefore necessary to subject the artificial fiber mass after the opening process to some further mechanical process in which the filaments are a ain brought into about parallel position. anly after this comparatively long procedure the artificial fiber mass can be converted by the well-known carding process into a spinnable sliver.

It will be seen from the above-given description of the hitherto known processes that the originally parallel position of the single filaments to each other is lost during the first stages and has to be restored later on in a rather troublesome and tedious process. One of the objects of'my invention is to carry out the opening up of the cut artificial filaments \in such a manner that the originally parallel position of the single 1929. Serial No. 346,468.

filaments to each other is maintained during the entire process.

Another object of my invention is to provide an apparatus which is suitable for carrying into practice my simplified process. Other objects of my invention will be seenfrom the detailed description hereafter following. I

In the accompanying drawing, illustrating the preferred form of my invention, Fig. 1 is a horizontal section and Fig.- 2 is a vertical section through a fiber cake used as starting material. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the apparatus for carrying out my process and Fig. l is a horizontal viewed the same, both figures showing details of construction. Fig. 5 s a side view and Fig. 6 represents a top view of the feeding device Z (shown in'Figs. 3 and 1), covered with parallel lying filaments S (shown in Figs. 3 and 4).

In my process I use as starting material a fiber cake in which the artificial filaments lie as nearly parallel to each other as possible.

According to my knowledge, there are known at the present time several methods which yield fiber cakes of thedesired quality. Inasmuch as the manufacture of such fiber cakes is not an object of my invention, I do not believe it necessary to describe such known processes more fully.

However, it may be worth while to menti on that the quality of the starting material to be used in my process may be modified to a certain degree and suited to the demands of each particular case by subjecting the artificial filaments on the spool, i. e., before cutting them, to certain washing, purifying and openingup processes. For instance, it may be possible in this manner to improve the feel of the filaments.

The filaments should be cut on the spool in a straight line and opened up to a certain degree before introducing them into the operations of my process. As will be obvious, the length of the parallel filaments obtained in this Way corresponds with the circumference of the spool.

In order to transform the cake of filasion two-fold oblique direction as used in my specification and claims by means of Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 represents a horizontal section through a fiber cake, h'avinga length of about 30", a width of about 15 and a height ofv about 5", lines X and Y showing the direction of the cutting knife as being cake. Fig. 2 represents a vertical section through the same fiber cake andshows the direction of the cutting knife asbein oblique to the vertical direction of the .fiber cake.

After the cutting procedure I feed the cut material to drafting rolls. In consequence of the two-fold oblique direction of the cake the feeding starts gradually. From Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawing it can be seed for instance, that the feeding starts on F and crosses slightly over to F I prefer to use several pairs of drafting rolls and to impart to each pair of rolls a different speed.

.By the combined action of the gradual feeding with the action of the difli'erent speeding rolls'I effect-an opening up or, in other words, a drawin out of the comparatively compact mass 0 filaments used as the starting material into a rather thin lager. As stated in the beginning of my speci cation, the parallel position of the single filaments to each other is maintained during 40 these drawing out steps as well as during the later-steps of my process.

- A further step ofmyprocess aims to 've to the fibers a certain modification in t eir structure by means of a suitable mechanical treatment. It is known that the artificial filaments are completely straight and there'- fore rather unsuited for forming a spinnable.

sliver. By a certain mechanical treatment I impart to the filaments a crinkled structure. This may be done in several ways. I prefer to efl'ect my aim by using drafting rolls formed from corrugated metal, thus combining the drawing out process with the crinklin process. v In ad 'tion to the steps mentioned before, I prefer to subject the comparatively thin layer of parallel filaments, as obtained after the steps mentioned before, to the action of constantly rotating needle cylinders for combing out the material. Of course as thefinal step of my process I use a' condensing apparatus in order to condense the fiber web 7 formed during the previous stages of my 7 process to a sliver. e5 A preferred method of carrying out my oblique to the length direction of the fiber process and especially the apparatus used in this preferred method are shown in Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawing. Fig. 3 shows a sectional view of my apparatus and Fig. 4 a horizontal view of the same. Z situated at the left side of the drawing, represents a feeding apron, the movement of which is regulated by the regulator RZ S represents the artificial fiber cake which may have, for instance, a height of about '5 and a width of about 15". The mass of artificial fibers is tightly pressed on the feeding apron Z by means of rolls H H and plate M indicates the cutting knife, MF being the'guide and frame through which the knife moves. MB. is the regulator for the knife 12' M; The knife is so constructed that it is cutting through the fiber cake in a two-fold oblique direction. The cutting process is carried out as follows:

The knife M is up. The regular RZ which is working intermittently, moves the feeding apron Z with the artificial fiber cake S in the right-hand direction the number of inches required to cut the fiber. After having moved forwardthe desired number of inches, the regulator RZ causes the feeding apron Z to stop. Plate H 3 holds the material very tightly to the feeding apron Z At this moment the knife M f comes down and cuts the material. This is the situation shown in Fig. 3, the knife bein down between the cut ofi fiber prisma G and the fiber cake S GS represents the cut off material. After that the knife M is again caused to go up. The regulator LRZ again pushes the feeding apron with the fiber cake S in the right-hand direction for the required length, feeding at the same time the cut 03 material GS to the drafting rolls R R R and R GS indicates the position of (:rS after the feeding apron Z has moved for the second time and before the cutting'process starts for the second time. The rolls R R R and R are going.

-Th'e right corner of the cut off fiber cake GS now being in the position GS will be caught immediately by rolls R and with the moving of the raw material S in the right hand direction, when the rocess goes on, the whole fiber prisma- S is soon fed in the rolls R and then passed. on to the following rolls R R and R As the fiber cake is cut in a two-fold oblique direction the feeding starts on the corner F of the cut off fiber prisma (shown inFig. 4), crosses slightly over to F (compare Fig. 4) and, in the proportion as the cut off fiber prisma GS is pushed in the positionGS the feeding starts again on F The four pairs of drafting rolls R R R aneasai p and R are made of corrugated metal, and

each pair revolves at a different speed.

The drafted sliver moves from the guide 1? to the condenser rolls CON Underneath this condenser, extending over the whole width, is a swinging apparatus W which places the drafted bands on the feed ing apron Z This is done as shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6.

Z is continually moving through the regulator RZ The feeding device Z is-entirely covered as shown in Fig. 3 with practically all parallel filaments. Fig. 5- is a side view and Fig. 6 represents a top view of the feeding device Z showing the drafted and parallel lying filaments S lVhen the S material has been drafted through R to R it is fed by the device E to the constantly rotating cylinder C and. G which cylinders are covered with fine needles for combing. H combs the material from cylinder G on the plate .P, which serves as a bridge for the material coming from the cylinder C A and A condense the fiber web to a sliver (SL) through CON A and A and goes into a rotating can K for spiral wind (already known in I cotton carding).

It will be obvious that certain modifications might be made from the process as described in this specification without departing from the essential principle of my invention.

I claim:

1. The process of forming a spinnable sliver from artificial filaments which comprises transforming a compact mass of parallel artificial filaments into a thin layer of the filaments while maintaining the parallel position of the filaments and converting then the thin layer thus, obtained into a spinnable sliver.

2. The process of forming a spinnable -sliver from artificial filaments which com-,

arallel artificial filaments in a two-fold oblique diprises cutting a compact mass of rection, feeding the cut filaments radually to'a drawing out apparatus wherefiy a thin layer offilaments is'formed, and transform ing the thin layer of filaments thus obtained 7 into a spinnable sliver.

3. The process of forming a s innable artificial filaments in a two-fold oblique direction,ffeeding the cut filaments gradually to several pairs of feeding rolls which revolve with different speed and which are made from corrugated metal, subjecting the thin layer of filaments thus obtained to the action of two constantly rotating needle cylinders and condensing then the fiber web to a sliver.

5. A paratus for forming a spinnable sliver rom artificial filaments, which comprises in operative combination means for cutting the compact fiber mass in a two-fold oblique direction, means for feeding the cut filaments to at least two pairs of drawing rolls, means for imparting to each pair of the rolls a different speed, and means for condensing the thin layer of filaments thus formed to a spinnablesliver.

6. Apparatus for forming a spinnable sliver from artificial filaments, which comprises in operative combination means for cutting the compact fiber mass in a two-fold oblique direction, at least two pairs of drawing rolls made of corrugated metal, means for feeding the cut filaments to the drawing rolls, means for imparting to each pair 0 the rolls a different speed and means for condensing the thin layer of filaments thus formed to a spinnable sliver.

ture. 4

MEINARD FREDERICH THOMA.

sliver from artificial filaments which com-K- prises cutting a compact mass of parallel artificial filaments in a two-fold obhque direction, feeding the cut filaments gradually to several 'pairs ofv feedin rolls which revolve with different spee s, subjecting-the thin layer of filaments thus obtained to the. action of two constantly rotating needle cylinders and condensing then the fiber web to a sliver.

4. The process of forming a spinnable sliver from artificial filaments WhlCh comprises cutting a compact mass of parallel In testimony whereof, I afiix my. sign'a- 

